West Brom v Man Utd | 20th October 2014 | Sky Sports 1

THE Premier League weekend ends here as Louis Van Gaal’s Man Utd side travel to The Hawthorns. Chris Graham (@chrisgraham79) takes a look at the betting.

West Brom v Man Utd | Monday 20:00 | Sky Sports 1

When you think of all the mishaps suffered by Manchester United this season, it’s incredible that a win here would push them up to 4th place on their own in the table. That says a lot for the inconsistency blighting the vast majority of teams this season.

United’s season can be split into two sections – Before Transfer Window (BTW) and After Transfer Window (ATW). They only scored 2 goals in the 3 games of the BTW era, yet have notched 11 during 4 ATW games. Over 2.5 Goals backers have been rewarded in all ATW games, yet the bet only paid out once in the BTW phase. So, if it’s goals you’re after, Man Utd tend to bring the goods.

West Brom have had a better season than people expected. Recent wins against Tottenham and Burnley were followed up by a spirited defeat at the hands of Liverpool before the international break. I still feel they’ll be in the relegation mix-up come Spring, but Alan Irvine must be encouraged by what he’s seen. Dig a little deeper though, and you can pick holes in the form. Spurs were coming off the Europa League and Burnley were…well being Burnley. The Baggies have scored just 8 goals this season (only 3 sides with fewer) and half of those came against Sean Dyche’s side. The central question for me is whether they can score tonight.

A Man Utd win, Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams To Score are all a similar price for this match. It’s the former that I’d feel more comfortable backing as I do think they’ll win and I’m not convinced West Brom will score. People say the Man Utd defence is a shambles, well in-form West Ham and prolific Everton could only manage one each against the side recently.

I couldn’t put anyone off backing Man Utd at 8/11 with Skybet, or even the same price with William Hill that they score more than once. Instead, I’ll be a little more adventurous and back the Red Devils on the Asian Handicap -1 at 5/4 with Paddy Power. That gives me the security of getting my stake back if they win by the odd goal. A wider margin means I get paid out in full.

About Author

Chris first got interested in betting back in 2000 when he began working in betting shops throughout Scotland. He has remained in the industry ever since, specialising in marketing and PR roles. Outside of betting, his interests are listening to Blur and following Queen Of The South.